Tag Archives: Valentine National Wildlife Refuge

The news release just went out: Fish salvage declared for Valentine NWR’s Hackberry Lake LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has declared a fish salvage for Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) south of Valentine from Feb. 1 through Aug. 1, 2019. The lake is scheduled to have its existing fish population renovated as part of an Aquatic Habitat Project to eliminate common carp on the entire refuge. During the salvage period at Hackberry …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has declared a fish salvage for Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) south of Valentine from Feb. 1 through Aug. 1, 2019. The lake is scheduled to have its existing fish population renovated as part of an Aquatic Habitat Project to eliminate common carp on the entire refuge. During the salvage period at Hackberry Lake: — Length limits will be rescinded but daily bag limits will be maintained. …

I was outta the office a week or so ago to help do some field work. I got to help with some work on one of my favorite waters in one of my favorite parts of the state–Pelican Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). I am not going to rehearse the details, or the merits, of the large Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation project that is ongoing on the Valentine NWR. If you have been living under a soapweed and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Rotenone will be applied Sept. 6 at Pelican Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) south of Valentine to remove common carp. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will apply rotenone, which is a toxicant often used by biologists to eliminate unwanted fish species, as part of the renovation of the lake. In recent months, liberalized fishing regulations have allowed anglers to remove many sport fish from Pelican, and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Beyond Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program is hosting a women’s ice fishing workshop on Jan. 13 at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge lakes. Women age 18 and older may sign up for the workshop, which will give instruction on equipment use and techniques. Participants can lodge in Valentine on Jan. 12 or meet the group at the refuge. The workshop cost is $25, not including meals and lodging. The deadline is Jan. 5. Visit NebraskaBOW.com to learn …

Renovations planned for many Sandhills lakes Invasive Carp Native to Europe, bottom-feeding carp stir up sediments and cloud the water, hampering the growth of the aquatic vegetation that is the base of the food web, and the growth and productivity of sight-feeding gamefish, including the bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie, largemouth bass and northern pike that thrive in Sandhills lakes. Carp found their way onto the refuge in the 1930s when a ditch was dug from Gordon Creek northwest of …

LINCOLN, Neb. – In preparation for a rotenone treatment in 2018, length limits on largemouth bass and northern pike at Pelican Lake will be rescinded Dec. 1 through Aug. 1, 2018. This action begins the second phase of the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Aquatic Habitat Project. Pelican Lake anglers may harvest these bass and pike by rod and reel. Bowfishing harvest is allowed during the archery game fish season of July 1 through Dec. 31. Daily bag limits will remain …

The lakes on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge have been some of the most unique and best fisheries in Nebraska for a long, long time. Several generations of Nebraskans have stories of pulling big beautiful panfish, pike, and largemouth bass through ice holes drilled on those Valentine Refuge lakes. The open-water fishing has provided just as many memories. In conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service which owns and operates the refuge, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission through …

LINCOLN, Neb. – A public informational meeting regarding the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge fisheries will be held Oct. 5 in Valentine. The meeting, hosted by the refuge and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Niobrara Lodge, 803 E. U.S. Highway 20. Presentations will be given on improvements over the past several years, ongoing fish management surveys, fish populations for individual lakes, plans to eradicate common carp, and proposed future fisheries management actions. …

I suppose it is not really fair to blog about ice fishing when most waters in Nebraska are pretty much liquid now. However, even as I write this there might be a place or two in the state where you can still get on the ice and catch some fish. . . just make sure you are very, VERY, careful. Ice Safety Tool Having said that, let me say that I will be on the ice as soon as possible …